This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

Thousands of new homes will be provided following a range of government measures announced today (2 December 2014).

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said these new measures would support locally-led efforts to get the country building, building on the momentum gathered since 2010 which has seen house building levels rise to a 7-year high.

Today the government announced:

a locally-led garden town at Bicester, backed by the council and local MP, which will provide up to 13,000 new homes

the provision of 10,000 new homes on surplus public sector land at Northstowe in Cambridgeshire

a new target to release enough formerly-used surplus public sector land for 150,000 new homes between 2015 and 2020

government support to provide 11,000 new homes at Barking Riverside in East London, and 7,500 new homes as part of the redevelopment of Brent Cross

The government also announced measures that will provide thousands of new affordable homes:

an affordable homes programme that will provide 275,000 new homes between 2015 and 2020 – the fastest rate of affordable house building in 2 decades

the first 4 housing estates to be shortlisted for a share of £150 million to kickstart their radical regeneration

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said:

We’ve seen how getting the country building has been key to our long term economic plan – helping hard-working people become homeowners and creating thousands of construction jobs.

Today we’re offering a blueprint for how we maintain this momentum, supporting local communities to deliver the homes they want to see, making the best possible use of brownfield land and protecting the Green Belt.

Taken together with our plans for a new programme of affordable house building, these measures could deliver over 200,000 new homes across the country.

Housing Minister Brandon Lewis said:

Since 2010 we’ve pulled out all the stops and got the country building, delivering the highest levels of house building for 7 years.

Today’s package of measures will ensure we go further, delivering up to a quarter of a million new homes – including thousands of new affordable homes.

And in doing this, we’ll support the construction industry – a key part of our growing economy – long into the future by creating thousands of new jobs.

Further information

Since 2010, over 200,000 new affordable homes have been provided in England. Plans are already in place to invest £23 billion public and private funding to provide 165,000 affordable homes between 2015 and 2018.

Today, the government set out plans to provide an average 55,000 new affordable homes a year between 2018 and 2020 on top of this. This means between 2015 and 2020, a total of 275,000 new affordable homes will be provided – the fastest rate of affordable house building for 2 decades.

Four housing estates in London are also set to benefit from a share of £150 million government funding to kickstart their radical regeneration.

The plans would provide 8,000 new well-designed homes – an increase of 3,000 across the 4 sites – and would safeguard and create up to 16,000 construction jobs.

Subject to due diligence and commercial negotiations, the 4 estates are:

the Aylesbury Estate in Southwark, which will be built by the Notting Hill Housing Trust – the 2,673 properties currently on the site will be replaced with 3,548 high quality homes

Grahame Park in Barnet, which will be built by the Genesis Housing Association – the 1,984 properties currently on the site will be replaced or refurbished to give 2,838 high quality homes

Blackwall Reach in Tower Hamlets, which will be built by Swan Housing Association and Swan New Homes – the 252 properties currently on the site will be replaced with 1,477 high quality homes

New Union Wharf in Tower Hamlets, which will be built by the East Thames Group – the 189 properties currently on the site will be replaced with 399 high quality homes

It is also critical that bidders can evidence that local people support the scheme, including quantified evidence of involvement in decision-making. This will also be covered in initial due diligence.

Today’s measures also include:

Expanding new and existing towns

The government will support a new locally-led garden town at Bicester, using a mix of surplus public sector land and other brownfield sites to provide up to 13,000 homes in the area; £100 million will be available to fund infrastructure and land remediation at Ebbsfleet, as part of a wider commitment to deliver the first garden city in 100 years.

The government is also committed to expanding existing towns – the government has agreed the outline of a deal to unlock 11,000 new homes at Barking Riverside in East London, and will work with Barnet council and the Greater London Authority to help deliver 7,500 new homes through the redevelopment at Brent Cross.

The government will also lead the provision of a new town of 10,000 homes on surplus public sector land at Northstowe in Cambridgeshire. That will help create a new community underpinned by high design and environmental standards.

More formerly-used land for development

The government is well on track to release enough formerly-used, surplus public sector land for 100,000 homes since 2010. Today the government confirmed a target to release enough land for a further 150,000 homes between 2015 and 2020.

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